Inside a thoroughly modern Mage Tower in Winter Spring Valley.
The little girl wearing an enormous mage's hat sat (ó﹏ò｡) on a little stool beside the bed, clutching her grandfather's rough hand and shaking him hard as she gazed at the old man lying there with his eyes closed.
"Grandpa! Grandpa! You can't die! My dad's gone, so you can't go too! Even if you have to go, at least write your will first and leave Winter Spring Valley to Shanaier!"
"Grandpa, if you go, you won't be able to collect that ten-bucks-a-day service fee anymore!"
Colossus and Mother Tree stood a short distance from the sickbed, listening to the little girl's tearful cries as they struggled to keep their wildly expressive faces straight.
This was bad.
Thank goodness Old Man hadn't woken up yet.
Otherwise, hearing such outrageously absurd remarks from his granddaughter might have made him cough up three pints of blood and drop dead on the spot.
Colossus pressed a hand to her forehead.
What kind of heaven-defying nonsense was this from a supposedly loving granddaughter?
Mother Tree finally couldn't hold back and burst out laughing, her long, willow-leaf-like hair fluttering in the breeze.
She floated over to the sickbed and gazed at the (ó﹏ò｡) Little Loli, growing fonder of her by the second. The corners of her mouth lifted as she said:
"Your name is Shanaier, right? What a lovely name. How old are you this year? Can you use magic too?"
The Little Loli raised her head, holding down her hat, and stared wide-eyed at the beautiful woman before her, who seemed to be a "Starry Sky powerhouse." She gulped, but then decided she couldn't lose face before such a powerful, mysterious being, so she thrust out her nonexistent chest with all her might.
"E-eighteen!